Drum magazine for machine guns and automatic small arms



June 23, 1931.

c. ALARSSON ET AL DRUM MAGAZINE FOR MACHINE GUNS AND AUTOMATIC S MALL ARMS s Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan. 15, 1931 June 23, 1931. c; A. LARSSON ET AL 1,811,694

DRUM MAGAZINE FOR MACHINE GUNS AND AUTOMATIC SMALL ARMS Filed Jan. 13, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 QQMLLBWWW c. A. LARSSON ET AL y i DRUM MAGAZINE FOR MACHINE GUNS AND AUTOMATIC SMALL ARMS June 23, 11931.

3 Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan.

Patented June 23, 1%31 UNITE s-rres PATEN" Fries CARL ALFRED LARSSON AND PERCY REUBEN HIGSON, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND, ASSIG-NORS TO VICKERS-ARMSTRONGS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND, A

BRITISH COMPANY Application filed January 13, 1931, Serial No.

This invention relates to drum magazines for use with machine guns and automatic small arms of the type such as the VVickers and the Colt in which the cartridges are with drawn rearwardly from the magazine during the rearward movement ofthe lock or bolt (whether the gun be of the barrel-recoiling type or of the fixed barrel type) instead of being pushed forwardly from the magazine during the forward movement of the bolt as in other types of guns. The kind of vdrum magazine to which this invention relates comprises a stationary pan portion provided with a boss having a helical or similar groove for-the reception of the bullets of the cartridges and with a helical support or a number (three for example) of communicating compartments for the rims of the cartridges whichare displaced step by step, in order to bring them one at a time into a discharge opening in, the base of the pan portion, by means of a spring-operatedcover portion or impeller provided with spacing members which are disposed between the cartridges. According to the invention the base of the pan portion is provided withan inclined chute or conduit which communicates with the discharge opening and conveys the cartridges into the required position for being extracted during the rearward movement of the lock or bolt, and the lower or outer end of this chute or conduit is provided with are movable member which whenv in position serves to locate the lowermostor'outermost cartridge'in its extracting position and'when removed opens the chute or conduit so as to enable the magazine to be re-charged with cartridges The cartridgesremaining in the aforesaid chute or conduit after the last onehas passed through the discharge opening in the base of. the pan portion are not for the purpose of being inserted into the gun and are therefore dummies (il el they are not formed with extracting rims) which are returned into the magazine in front of the fresh cartridges which are fed intothe magazine through the said chute or conduit,

Re-charging is preferably effected by means, of a hopper the outlet end. ofwhich DRUM MAGAZINE FOR MACZ-IENE GUN S AND AUTOMATIC SMALL ARMS 508,405, and in Great Britain April 10, 1930.

communicates with the mouthpiece of the chute or conduit, the said removable member having previously been removed. For recharging the magazine is placed with its axis horizontal on a stand and the cover portion or impeller is angularly displaced by hand in'the reverse direction to that of the step-by-step movement occurring during the working of the gun and in this manner the magazine is completely filled from the the hopper. 0

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood "and readily carried into effect, the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a sectional side elevation showing a drum magazine in accordance with this invention in position on a gun of the kind hereinbefore referred to,

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 with part of the cover portion or impeller of the magazine broken away,

Figure 3 is an end View of part of the magazine showing the aforesaid chuteror i conduit, this figure also showing some of the cartridges, 7 v Figure 4 is alocal plan view showing the dummy cartridges in position in the chute or conduit, 7 v V Figure 5 is a sectional end view showing how-two of the dummy cartridges are linked together, V

Figure 6 is a sectionalside elevation showing the magazine carried by a stand for recharging from a hopper, and

Figure 7 is a'sectional face elevation of Flgure 6.

Aris part of the casing ofva gun of the kind hereinbefore referred to, B is the sta tionary pan portion of the magazine, 13 is the discharge opening in the base of the said pan portion, B is the inclined chute or conduit carriedby the said base and CO1l1- municating with vthe discharge opening, B is the: removable member normally closing the lower or outer end of the said chute or conduit, C is the rotary cover portion or im peller of the magazine and C are spacing members which are carried by the cover portion C and between which the cartridges are disposed.

The pan portion B of the magazine is provided with a hollow central boss B (Figure 1) into which fits a spigot A projecting upwardly from the casing of the gun preferably at one side of the central plane of the gun as shown in Figure 2. When the magazine is in position on the gun the outer end of the aforesaid chute or conduit B extends slightly beyond the central plane of the gun and the pan portion B is held in position by a spring catch A carried by the gun casing, this catch engaging with a projection B on the periphery of the portion B; the said pan portion also has on its lower surface a projection B fitting under a flange A on the aforesaid spigot A In order to remove the magazine the spring catch A is released and the magazine is angularly displaced sufliciently to bring the chute or conduit B clear of the casing of the gun and the projection B clear of the flange A on the spigot whereupon the magazine as a whole can be lifted off the spigot. The arrangement of the driving spring C and its associated parts may be similar to that described in the specification of our concurrent English patent application No. 4,435 of 1930 and the spacing members C on the cover portion or impeller C may also be construct ed in the manner described in that specification.

The aforesaid removable member B is shown as being in the form of a plate slidably mounted in a bracket B attached to the pan portion B and is so situated that the cartridge in contact therewith is in the proper position for being, extracted from the chute or conduit B by the extractor on the lock or bolt of the gun. The said chute or conduit is closed at the front and is closed at the rear except at the part where the outermost cartridge lies where the rear wall is cut away or formed with a gap B as shown in Figure 3 to enable the extractor to engage in front of the rim of the said cartridge.

The cartridge remaining in the chute or conduit B after the last one has passed through the discharge opening 13 in the base of the pan port-ion (at which time the said remaining cartridges are no longer under the influence of the cover portion or impeller) are not for the purpose of being inserted into the gun and are therefore dummies with the extracting rims removed as indicated at 0 These dummy cartridges (which as shown are five in number) are returned into the magazine in front of the fresh cartridges when the magazine is recharged. The outermost dummy cartridge is linked to the adjacent dummy cartridge by a link C which engages in circumferential grooves in the said dummy cartridges. This link prevents the outermost dummy cartridge from falling out rearwards from the chute or conduit B when it is in contact with the plate B and is therefore opposite the aforesaid gap B in the rear wall of the chute or conduit.

Re-charging is preferably effected as shown in Figures 6 and 7. The magazine is removed from the gun and is placed on a spigot projecting horizontally from a stand D, the pan portion B being arranged with the mouth of the chute or conduit B uppermost as shown beneath a hopper D carried by the stand. The plate B having been removed the hopper is filled with cartridges and the impeller or cover portion C of the magazine is rotated in the reverse direction to that in which it moves during the working of the gun, thus causing the cartridges to enter the magazine with the dummy cartridges C in front of them as aforesaid. When the magazine is full the member or plate B is placed in position, the spring tension is adjusted by the handle E and the key E is placed in position as described in our aforesaid specification.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A drum magazine for use with a machine gun or automatic small arm in which the cartridges are withdrawn rearwardly from the magazine during the rearward movement of the lock or bolt, the said magazine comprising in combination a stationary pan portion and a movable cover portion serving to displace the cartridges step by step in order to bring them one at a time into a discharge opening in the base of said pan portion, an inclined chute or conduit which communicates with said discharge opening and conveys the cartridges into the required position for being extracted during the rearward movement of the lock or bolt, and a removable member at the lower or outer end of said chute or conduit, this member when in position serving to locate the lowermost or outermost cartridge in. its extracting position and when removed opens the chute or conduit so as to enable the magazine to be recharged with cartridges.

2. A drum magazine for use with a machine gun or automatic small arm in which the cartridges are withdrawn rearwardly from the magazine during the rearward movement of the lock or bolt, the said magazine comprising in combination a stationary pan portion and a movable cover portion serving to displace the cartridges step by step in order to bring them one at a time into a discharge opening in the base of said pan portion, an inclined chute 0r conduit which communicates with said discharge opening and conveys the cartridges into the required position for being extracted during the rearward movement of the lock or bolt, and a sliding plate at the lower or outer end of said chute or conduit, this plate when in position serving to locate the lowermost or outermost cartridge in its extractlng posltion and when removed opens the chute or conduit so as to enable the magazine to be recharged with cartridges.

3. A drum magazine as claimed in claim 1, provided with a number of dummy cartridges, unprovided with extracting rims, in sutficient number to fill the chute or conduit after the last live cartridge has been extracted, these dummy cartridges being returned into the magazine in front of the supply of fresh cartridges when the magazine is being recharged.

4. A drum magazine as claimed in claim 1, provided with a number of dummy cartridges, unp rovided with extracting rims, in suflicient number to fill the chute or conduit after the last live cartridge has been extracted, these dummy cartridges being returned into the magazine in front of the supply of fresh cartridges when the magazine is being recharged, and a link connecting the outermost dummy cartridge to the adjacent dummy cartridge.

5. A recharging device for a drum magazine as claimed in claim 1, comprising a stand and a hopper, the magazine being placed on said stand with its axis horizontal and with the mouth of the chute or conduit uppermost for receiving cartridges from said hopper.

CARL ALFRED LARSSON. PERCY REUBEN HIGSON, 

